The Database Of All The Reviews

A Boy at War
Harry Mazer
Fiction (Series)
Ages 8 to 12
Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002, 0-689-84160-4
  Adam and his family have just moved to Honolulu. His father is an officer on the U.S.S. Arizona and is very much a spit-and-polish kind of man. He is also the kind of man who does not want his son to be seen hanging around with a Japanese boy. Adam has made friends with a Nisei boy, Davi. Davi's parents came to Hawaii from Japan but Davi considers himself to be as American as Adam is. Being told that he can't see Davi again is very hard for Adam. 
  Despite his father's words and feeling angry and confused about what to do, Adam finds himself going fishing with Davi and another boy. They go down to the harbor. There, they find a rowboat, and just as they are settling down to fish all hell breaks loose. With horrified eyes they watch Japanese planes bomb Battleship Row. Adam sees his father's ship being attacked and sinking. What follows is a series of nightmarish events. During these events Adam discovers all sorts of things about himself and others, and he is forced to come to some awful conclusions.
  This touching and sometimes painful story is told through the eyes and heart of a boy searching for a reason for war, suffering and prejudice. Adam finds himself seeking the love and recognition of his demanding father and also a place for himself in the world. Against this story of an ordinary boy is the backdrop of one of the most extraordinary military events in world history, an event that is both fascinating and appalling at the same time.

Blog| Contact Us| Search | About us

An Online Children’s Book Review Journal

Through The Looking Glass Children’s Book Review

Online book reviews for the child in your life featuring both new and popular children's book authors

Kids book reviews, including book reviews of chapter books, novels, picture books, and non-fiction from famous children’s literature authors. Your review site of books for children.